Show ContentsBarns History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Barns Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Barns

What does the name Barns mean?

The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought many new words to England from which surnames were formed. Barns was one of these new Norman names. It was specifically tailored to its first bearer, who was a small child. The surname springs from the middle English bairn, of the same meaning. 1 2

Early Origins of the Barns family

The surname Barns was first found in Surrey at Barnes, a parish, in the union of Richmond, W. division of the hundred of Brixton. 3 This parish was originally listed as Berne 4 in the Domesday Book of 1086.

According to the Saxon Chronicle, Siward Barn was the patriot rebel against William the Conqueror. 5 After that early listing, one of the first records of the name was found in Surrey as Philip de Bernes. 6

Other early records include: Henry de le Berne in Norfolk; Richard de la Berne in Kent; and William de la Berne in Dorset, all listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 1 William Bernes was listed in the Assize Rolls of Cheshire in 1380 and Joan Barnes was also listed in Cheshire in 1450. 6

Early Scottish sources revealed that the name was from "Barnes in the parish of Premnay, Aberdeenshire" 7 where the first record was found in the 15th century as Robert of Bernis, a goldsmith in 1465. 7

Early History of the Barns family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Barns research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1300, 1495, 1532, 1540, 1569, 1587, 1609, 1627, 1654, 1661, 1675, 1710, 1712 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Barns History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barns Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Barnes, Barns, Barnis, Bernys, Barness and others.

Early Notables of the Barns family

Robert Barnes (1495-1540), English Protestant divine and martyr, a Norfolk man, born in the neighbourhood of Lynn. "Barnes and his two companions, as heretics, were committed to the flames." 8 Richard Barnes (1532-1587), Bishop of Durham, born at Bould, near Warrington, in Lancashire, son of John Barnes and Agnes Saunderson, his wife. His son, Barnabe Barnes (1569?-1609), English poet, born in Yorkshire about the year 1569, a younger...
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Barns Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barns Ranking

the United States, the name Barns is the 6,884th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 9

Migration of the Barns family to Ireland

Some of the Barns family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 75 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barns migration to Australia +

Barns Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Barns, (Barnes), (b. 1805), aged 16, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 20th May 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
  • Mr. Henry Barns, (b. 1799), aged 23, Irish stone mason labourer who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for life, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 3rd September 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
  • Miss Charlotte Barns, (b. 1805), aged 38 who was convicted in Wells, Somerset, England for 10 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 16th November 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), she died in 1867 12
  • James Barns, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1848 13

Barns migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Barns Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • James Barns, aged 21, a farm labourer, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Olympus" in 1841
  • Mr. James Barns, (b. 1819), aged 21, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Olympus" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 20th April 1841 14
  • G Barns, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "New Great Britain" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 10th August 1863 15
  • Mr. William S. Barns, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "England" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 6th February 1867 15
  • Mrs. Catherine Barns, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "England" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 6th February 1867 15
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Barns (post 1700) +

  • Greg Barns, Australian barrister, author, political commentator
  • Ethel Barns (1874-1948), English violinist, pianist and composer from London
  • Thomas Alexander Barns FZS FES (1881-1930), English businessman, explorer, big game hunter, author, artist, naturalist and lecturer
  • Cornelia Barns (1888-1941), American artist and political cartoonist
  • Paul D. Barns, American politician, Justice of Florida State Supreme Court, 1946-49 16
  • Newton S. Barns, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Fairmont, West Virginia, 1885-90 17
  • Natalie C. Barns, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Orange County 1st District, 1940 17
  • L. W. Barns, American Republican politician, Member of South Dakota State Senate 10th District, 1953-54 17
  • Kitty Barns, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Missouri, 1940 17
  • ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  4. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  5. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  6. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  7. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  8. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  9. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 31st March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
  13. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HOOGHLY 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Hooghly.htm
  14. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  15. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  16. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html

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